Section 6 - The Event

Overview

This section explains how Tournaments run and how Teams are ranked and advance. A typical Tournament has Practice Matches, Qualification Matches played in Rounds, Alliance Selection, and Finals Matches, with Drone Skills Matches running alongside. Leagues are covered in Section 7.

Tournament Rules

<T1> Head Referees have ultimate and final authority on all gameplay and Drone ruling decisions during an event.

1. Only Flight Team Members, not Adults, may ask about scores or rulings (SC3).
2. Rulings are final once the score is entered. A Head Referee’s judgment call is never a reason for a replay (GG7).

<T2> Head Referees must be qualified. A VEX AIR Head Referee must have this season’s VEX AIR Head Referee certification, be at least eighteen years old, and have no conflict of interest with any Team at the event.

<T3> Flight Team Members are permitted to immediately appeal the Head Referee’s ruling. Right after the Match, before scores are final, Flight Team Members may politely ask for a review. Once the Head Referee says the decision is final, the matter is closed. Not accepting a final decision may break G1.

<T4> The Event Partner has ultimate authority regarding all non-gameplay decisions during an event, such as schedules, the venue, volunteers, and logistics. The Event Partner can’t overrule the Head Referee on gameplay or Drone rulings.

<T5> Be prepared for minor Field variance. Fields may differ slightly from each other and from the official specifications. Raise setup concerns with the Head Referee before the Match (GG5).

<T6> Fields and Field Elements may be repaired at the Event Partner’s discretion. Repairs should bring the Field as close to specification as possible and must not affect gameplay.

<T7> Fields at an event must be consistent with each other. If an event has more than one Teamwork Match Field, they must all have the same modifications and repairs.

<T8> Qualification Matches follow the official Match Schedule. The Match Schedule lists each Team’s Qualification Matches, partners, and expected start times. The Event Partner may adjust it and will announce any changes.

1. The Match Schedule doesn’t list Scoring Systems (T10).

<T9> Every Team plays the same number of Qualification Matches.

1. Every Team plays at least four Qualification Matches. The Event Partner publishes the number before the event, and more Rounds are encouraged when time allows.
2. If the schedule requires some Teams to play one extra Match, that Match is marked on the schedule and doesn’t count toward ranking. Teams should still play it as if it counts (G1).

This rule changes at leagues. See L2.

<T10> Scoring Systems rotate by Round and are revealed at the start of each Round.

1. Every Match in a Round uses the same Scoring System (SC13).
2. The Scoring System is chosen at the event and announced by the event software and event staff when the Round starts. The order is never published ahead of time.
3. The event software picks the order at random. In any six Rounds in a row, each Scoring System is used once.
4. Events with fewer than six Rounds use some of the Scoring Systems, chosen by the event software.
5. The Finals count as one extra Round, the Finals Round. After Alliance Selection, the event software picks one Scoring System at random for all Finals Matches. Any of the six can be picked, even one already used (T15).
6. A replayed Match (GG7) uses the Scoring System of its original Round, no matter which one is active at the time.

This rule changes at leagues. See L4.

<T11> Teams are ranked by their average Qualification Match score.

1. Every Qualification Match score counts; none are dropped, except extra Matches under T9b.
2. At events with divisions, Teams are ranked within their division.

This rule changes at leagues. See L5.

<T12> Qualification ranking tiebreakers. Teams with the same average are ranked by:

1. Highest single Qualification Match score.
2. Then, second-highest Qualification Match score.
3. Then, a random draw by the event software.

<T13> Alliance Selection. After the last Qualification Round, the top-ranked Teams form Alliances of two Teams for the Finals.

1. Each Team sends one Student representative.
2. In ranking order, each Alliance Captain invites one eligible Team. A Team that accepts joins that Alliance. A Team that declines can’t be invited again, but it can still become an Alliance Captain.
3. Each Team can be invited only once and can be on only one Alliance.
4. Selection continues in ranking order until the published number of Alliances is filled (T14).

This rule changes at leagues. See L7.

<T14> Half of the Teams at an event advance to the Finals Matches.

1. There is one Alliance for every four Teams at the event, rounded down. For example, 25 Teams means six Alliances in Finals Matches.
2. Every event has at least four (4) Alliances in the Finals Matches.
3. When the Qualification Match schedule is approved, the event software sets the number of Alliances based on how many Teams are on the schedule.
4. Events with fewer than eight Teams have as many Alliances as they can, so every Team advances. With an odd number of Teams, the lowest-ranked Team doesn’t advance.

This rule changes at leagues. See L7b.

<T15> Finals Matches decide the Teamwork Champions. All Finals Matches make up one Round, the Finals Round, and each Alliance gets one score.

1. Each Alliance flies one Finals Match. The lowest-seeded Alliance flies first and the top-seeded Alliance flies last. There are no brackets or head-to-head Matches.
2. All Finals Matches use the same Scoring System, picked at random after Alliance Selection (T10e).
3. A Disqualified Alliance scores zero (GG8).
4. The Alliance with the highest score is the Teamwork Champion.

<T16> Ties in Finals Matches lead to limited rematches. If two or more Alliances tie for the highest score:

1. Each tied Alliance plays one more Finals Match, under the same Scoring System.
2. If they tie again, the higher-seeded Alliance (by Alliance Captain ranking) wins.
3. Ties for any other Finals place are broken by Alliance Captain ranking, with no rematch.

<T17> Skills Match schedule. Drone Skills Matches are played on open Skills Fields, first come first served or through a sign-up published by the Event Partner. Drone Skills Matches are available only to Teams on the Qualification Match schedule. A Team’s Skills scores count only if it plays at least one Qualification Match.

1. Each Team may play up to three Piloting Skills Matches and three Autonomous Skills Matches per event.

This rule changes at leagues. See L6.

<T18> Skills Fields must be consistent with each other. Skills Fields don’t need the same modifications as Teamwork Match Fields, but every Skills Field at an event must be set up the same way.

<T19> Drone Skills Matches are always played under Scoring System A. This keeps Skills scores comparable across every event in the season.

<T20> Skills rankings. A Team’s Skills score is its highest Piloting Skills Match score plus its highest Autonomous Skills Match score at the event.

1. Ties are broken in this order:
   1. Highest Autonomous Skills Match score.
   2. Second-highest Autonomous Skills Match score.
   3. Second-highest Piloting Skills Match score.
   4. Highest combined Skills Stop Time from the two Matches used for the Skills score.
   5. Highest Skills Stop Time from the best Autonomous Skills Match.
   6. Third-highest Autonomous Skills Match score.
   7. Third-highest Piloting Skills Match score.
   8. If still tied, the Event Partner may give each tied Team one more Skills Match of each type, or declare them co-winners.
2. Global Skills rankings use the same combined score, from each Team’s best qualifying-event results.

This rule changes at leagues. See L6.

<T21> League events. Leagues are Tournaments played across multiple sessions. They follow these Tournament Rules as adjusted by the League Rules in Section 7 (L1 to L7).